Quenching machine



July 20, 1954 H. J. GRI-:GG

QUENCHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1948 WWW INN!

July 20, 1954 H. .1. GREGG 2,684,073

QUENCHING MACHINE Filed April 25, 194e 3 sheets-sheet 2 y fw, www@ y@ July 20, 1954 Filed April 23, 1948 H. J. GREGG QUENCHING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented July 20, 1954 UNITED STATES anni OFFICE l Claims. 1

rlhis invention relates, in general, to quenching machines particularly adapted for use in quenching hot pie-ces of metal such as large tractor and automotive ring gears, large size bearing races or the like which usually call for press quenching machines.

In the past, the process of quenching items like those mentioned above has required presses which include elaborate and ,expensive dies to -control the distortion of the hot pieces and usually only one work piece is quenched at a time. The quench media is generally oil which is maintained at a temperature between 110 degrees and 13G degrees and the machine must be connected to elaborate auxiliary cooling, conditioning, storage, pump and piping facilities.

The new and improved type of quenching n achine involved in the present invention preferably employs the art of what is commercially known as mar-tempering which lends itself to a new principle of quench machine design with many attendant advantages. While the invention disclosed herein, for purposes of illustration shows a machine which is capable of quenching a plurality of hot work pieces at a time or in succession, it will he understood that a similar machine em bodying mechanism for the quenching of out a single piece may be produced and still embody many ci the principles involved in this invention.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a new and improved type of quenching machine which is particularly designed to overcome the disadvantages of present methods of quenching as outlined above, and which be much more simple in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a quenching machine capable of quenching hot pieces of material such as ring gears and the like in a manner which will minimize warpage or distortion and thus produce a higher quality more economically.

A further object of the invention is to provide a quenching machine wherein one or more pieces of hot metal may be charged onto one or more spindles and means are provided to rotate the spindle and lower the hot piece into a quench media which is automatically `controlled as to temperature and agitation, thereby to properly quench the hot piece.

Still another object oi the invention is to provide a quenching machine wherein het pieces of metal are charged onto one or more spindles, which spindles are rotated and immersed in a quench media, and means are provided to eject the quenched piecesafter they are removed from the bath.

Still another object of the invention is to pron vide a quenching machine wherein automatic brakinglmeans are actuated to prevent rotation of the spindles onto which hot pieces of metal are (Cl. Bln-195) charged and to permit rotation thereof after they begin their descent into the quench bath.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Fig. l is a front elevational View of one form of the quench machine embodying the invention with parts thereof broken away for the salte of clarity;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional View through the machine as shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine with the cover removed to disclose more clearly the details thereof; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the braking means taken along the plane of lines 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Briefly described, the invention involves the use of a generous size tank which is adapted to contain a volume of a `quenching media which may be a special salt bath or a mar-tempering oil, The present invention enables this tant: to be Wholly `devoid of the conventional external auxiliary coolers, pumps, storage tank, and piping facilities. The novel form or" heating, cooling and agitating means are all more fully described hereinafter and are so ar 1anged as to maintain the bath at the proper temperature, this temN perature usually being within the range of from 375 degrees to 400 degrees F. One or more rotatably mounted spindles are provided onto which the hot gear or other work piece is charged. rEhe spindle is then allowed to rotate and carry the work piece with it, as it is moved downwardly and immersed into `the quench media. After quenching for a predetermined period of time, which will depend upon the article being quenched, the spindle will then be automati aily elevated whereupon an ejector device will re cve the quenchedarticle from the spindle and deposit it onto a conveyor. Although the work piece nay he charged onto the spindle while it is rotati4 if so desired, it has been determined that a gr control of the warpage and distortion may if the spindle is dead'or not rotating at t, the work piece is charged thereon. For this reason, a novel form of braking means is to stop rotation of the spindle when the carri means on `which the spindle is mounted its uppermost position. This means is so desi that the spindle is vpermitted to begin its rotatie afterthecarriage has started its movement down wardly to immerse the article in the bath.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, one of the preferred forms which the invention may taire will include a tanli generally indicated by the numeral l. A supenstructure or frame 2 may be built as a part of the machine and extend above the tank lto either partially or completely enclose the Working parts of the machine.

The tank l includes a bottom t, ends il sides 5. The heating and cooling means includes ,one or more pipes or conduits each of which extends downwardly into the tank and is so constructed that one end l thereof extends above the tank at one end thereof and the other end will extend above the tank at the opposite end thereof. The end 'l constitutes a burner and the opposite end is provided with an eductor 8. Any suitable and conventional means may be utilised for automatically igniting the gas entering the burner l, and the eductor B is utilized for drawing air through the pipes 6, whereupon a combustible mixture is formed and carried through the pipes E for the purpose of heating the quench media contained within the tank. The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein illustrates two of these pipes 5 but it will be evident that the number of these pipes is not an important consideration as long as the design is such that the temperature of the quench media can be properly and accurately controlled within certain predetermined limits.

A fan or blower device 8a is mounted at a suitable location beside the tank I and is connected to a shell surrounding the tank for the purpose of forced cooling and further controlling the temperature of the quench media. The shell surrounding the tank inc ludes communicating air passages and may be formed by placing a plurality of channel members and I-beams 9 around the ends 4 and sides 5. The outer covering around these spacer members 9 will then provide an air space la at each end of the tank and another air space 5a at each side of the tank.

In some instances it may be desirable to have such communicating air space also provided on the bottom of the tank, although in the particular form of the invention shown herein the I- beams lil are located below the bottom 3 of the tank and act as a support therefor. If desired, another plate or part of the shell can be placed beneath the I-beams l0 and the space between the bottom and this lower shelf would then act as an additional communicating air space. The fan or blower 8a is so connected to the shell of the tank as to forcefully circulate external cool intake air throughout the various connecting passages a and 5a and discharge the circulated air to the atmosphere. The heat passing through the pipes 6 will initially raise the temperature of the quench media to the proper and predetermined degree. Suitable thermostatic controls may be utilized for then cutting off the main flame from the burner '5, and at this point the blower 8a will cause cool air to circulate around the tank and thus prevent the temperature of the bath from exceeding that which is necessary for quenching purposes. At the same time, the eductor 3 will be drawing air through the pipes 6 for additional cooling for the reason that the hot work pieces when quenched will tend to raise the temperature of the bath. This tendency to raise the temperature of the bath will be counteracted by both the blower 8a and the eductor 8 to thus maintain a lower temperature in the bath. When the temperature of the bath then reaches the predetermined low point the burner 'l will again become active and the eductor B will then draw hot air and combustion gases through the pipes 6 to elevate the temperature of the bath and return it to the proper point.

The foregoing means and method of heating, cooling and containing the bath represent conventional methods and apparatus used in the art of mar-tempering.

A plurality of I-beams II extend upwardly at the rear of the machine and considerable distances beyond the top of the tank I, and these I- beams I I have the functions of not only providing a support for the super-structure but also of providing tracks for guiding the carriages in their vertical reciprocating movement. The superstructure may take any one of a number of desirable forms and in the embodiment shown includes end supporting members I2 which extend vertically upwardly and supporting cross-members in the form of angles I3. This structure then supports a cover-plate I4 for the top and a cover member l5 at the front of the machine which extends downwardly and covers most of the operating mechanism.

It is highly important that the quench media be agitated at least during the quenching period so as to maintain the entire bath at a substantially even temperature. For this reason, agitators generally indicated at I6 are provided, each of which may include a driving motor I1 mounted on an angularly disposed supporting plate I8. The motor shaft I9 is mounted in a suitable bearing and is connected to an elongated rod 2E) having a propeller 2l on the lower end thereof. The motor Il rotates the propeller 2| rapidly and thus causes agitation within the media. Two of these agitators have been shown in the drawings, but it will be quite evident that if the tank is made smaller for the quenching of a single pieec of work only one agitator might be necessary; or if the tank is made larger for the purpose of successively quenching a greater number of hot pieces of work, it may be advisable to have more than two such agitators. These agitators may be so controlled as to continually agitate the bath or control means may be utilized to agitato the bath only at the time or times that work pieces are being quenched. This is a mere matter of control and such control means are commercially available and may be utilized if so desired.

Since the present design of the quenching machine illustrates a plurality of vertical reciprocating carriages, which carry the hot work pieces into the bath, five of such carriages have been illustrated, although the exact number is not an important consideration. These carriages are generally indicated herein by the nu meral 22, and since they are all identical in structure and operation a description of one will suiiice for all. Each carriage 22 includes a pair of spaced, horizontally extending channel members 23. These channel members are disposed so that the flanges thereon face toward each other. A bottom plate 24 is secured to the lower facing anges of the channels 23 to thereby form a. unitary structure. A pair of spaced, roller supporting plates 25 is secured also to the opposing channels 23, and each plate 25 is adapted to rotatably support four roller members 26. Each of the rollers 26 is provided with a flange 21 to thereby enable these rollers to bear against the front and rear faces of the I-beams l I. This construction is more clearly shown in Figs. l and 3, where it will be noted that the two rollers 26, on each plate 25, bear against the forward faces of the I-beams Il and the two rear rollers 26 on each plate 25 will bear against the rear faces of the I-beams Il. Thus the carriage 22 will be guided in its reciprocating movement with the I-beams II acting as tracks to permit vertical reciprocation of the carriage.

A platform 28 is provided at the rear of each pair of opposing channels 23 which platform is adapted to support a motor 2 9. This motor 29 has an elongated shaft extending forwardly therefrom in a horizontal plane and is supported at its forward end in a suitable bearing 3l. The outer end of the shaft 3d has a sprocket wheel 32 mounted thereon and is adapted to drive a sprocket chain 33 which passes around-a larger sprocket wheel 34 therebelcw mounted on a stub shaft 35. This stub shaft 35 is mounted in bearings provided by the vertically extending channels 36, which extend downwardly on opposite sides of the horizontal channels 23. These channels 35 extend downwardly in pairs vand have the front and rear plates 3? secured theretol which thereby form bearings for the shaft 35. The forward end of shaft 35 is adapted to have a spindle 33 mounted thereon which in turn is adapted to support a worlgpiece 39, The spindle 33 may take any one of a number of different forms and shapes depending upon the type of work piece which is being quenched. The spindle ed shown herein is particularly adapted for receiving and quenching a ring gear as shown at 39, but if a different type of ring gear or other work piece such as a bearing race were to be quenched it may be desirable to change the form and shape of the spindle 38 somewhat. This feature, however, is a mere matter of design and the particular shape of the spindle 38 forms no part of the present invention. It will thus be evident that the motor 29 on each of the carriages 22 will drive the shaft 36 and the shaft 35 by means of the sprocket chain 33. The spindle Sii will thus be rotated by reason of its connection with the shaft 35.

Compressed fluid means are preferably employed for causing the vertical reciprocation of the carriages 22. This fluid means may be air or a hydraulic liquid and may include a 7-fcrtically extending cylinder All for each carriage 22 having a piston therein and la piston rod lli extending through the upper end of the cylinder. The upper end of the rod 4l may be connected to a plate l2 secured to the under side of the spaced channel members l2 3 so that any upward or downward movement of the rod 4l will carry with it the carriage `2 2 and all of the parts connected therewith. It will thus be evident that when the rod lll is Vin its upper extended position the carriage 22 connected therewith will be elevated and the spindle 38 on the carriage will also be in its elevated position out of the quench media. After the hot work piece has been charged onto the spindle 38 a compressed iluid then causes the rod 4I to lower which thus carries with it the carriage 22 and will thereby immerse the hot work piece into the quench media.

As stated herebefore, it is deisrable in most instances to charge the hot werk piece onto a dead spindle, and for this reason a suitable braking means has been designed to automatically stop rotation of the spindle when the carriage reaches its uppermost position. This braking means may take any one of a number of forms including commercial solenoid motor brakes, but the type shown here for purposes of illustration is generally indicated b y the numeral 43 and is shown in greater detail in Fig. fi. This consists primarily of a supporting member comprising an angle member Q4 extending horizontally between two adjacent I-beams l l and at the upper ends thereof. The horizontal leg 45 of the angle de supports the downwardly extending rod 46 which has a coiled compression spring 41 surrounding it, The brake member is indicated at 48 and consists merely in a. block or shoe having an arcuate lower surface of substantially the same radius as the drum 49 mounted on the shaft 3i! of the motor :29. When the carriage 22; is elevated to its uppermost position the rotating .drum 49 vvil come `asa-ins; the under arcuate surface of the brake shoe 4 8 carried by the rod 46. The brake shoe 48 will then be moved upwardly against the compression of the spring il and thus urge the Shoe 4.5 against the drum 4S. Suitable means (not .Shell/rl) are provided to automatically turn Oig the motor just before the carriage reaches its uppermost position and the brake will then act to immediately stop rotation du@ t0 momentum of the .Shaft 30- When the shaft A3e stops rotating it will be obvious that the spindle S8, which is drivingly connected thereto, will also cease rotating, After a hot work piece has been freshly charged onto the dead spindle 33 and the carriage 2 2 begins its descent to carry the work piece into the quench -media, the drum will be moved away from the brake shoe and the motor switch will be turned on whereupon the spindle 38 will begin rotation.

A splash guard is also provided at the front of the machine and includes a horizontal plate Sli liz-wing` a downwurned rear Side El. This splash guard has a definite advantage in a machine of this character because the spindle and quenched work piece will be rotating rapidly as they leave the bath. This rapid rotation of the spindle and work piece will throw oil' a considerable amount of the excess quench media normally adhering to the treated work piece and will be caught by the splash guard and allowed to drain back into the bath. Thus, a minimum amount of cleaning of the work piece is necessary Since most of the e:;- cess media will have already been removed therefrom.

The invention herein also contemplates a novel form of ejection mechanism for the purpose of electing the quenched work, piece from the spindle. This ejector includes a pair of spaced arms :'52 for each spindle, 4one on each side thereof. The arms 52 are each adjustably secured to a shaft 53 which extends between the ends of the machine and 'may be suitably .mounted in bearings fl at each end thereof. The arms 52 are made adjustable to take care of different size worl; pieces. The bea-rings 54 may be mounted on any suitable part of the device such as the end plates 55, At one end Of the shaft '53 a gear or pinion Elli is mounted and is adapted to be in mesh with a rack 57. The rack 5T is connected to the piston rod 5S of a fluid cylinder 59 which is in turn mounted on a support formed by a pair of spaced channel members 6i). The rack .il is mounted for vertical l'ciprocation when the fluid of the system moves the piston within the cylinder upwardly or downwardly. This vertical reciproeaticn of the rack 5'! will rotate the pinion 55 and the shaft 53 connected thereto. Rotation of the shaft will carry with it the arms l and will move these arms to their dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, which is the electing position. The work piece 39 is alwaysof suiicient diameter as to be greater than the distance between the adj acont adjustable arms 5i? so that as these arms rotate in a clockwise direction as Viewed in Fig. 2. they will lift the work piece off of the spindle 38 and permit the Werl; piece to slide downwardly ont@ a @Toute @l and to a conveyor t2.

The operation of a single carriage will be substantially as follows: The carriage is normally in its uppermost position in contact with the brake shoe i8 and the motor has been turned off so that the spindle 33 is not rotating. A hot work piece is then charged onto the spindle 33 whereupon the fluid system acts on the piston within the cylinder 49 to lower the carriage 22 and move the work piece into the quench media. The quench media has previously been brought up to a predetermined temperature depending upon the type of media being used, and this temperature is always being maintained within a predetermined range by means of the heating and cooling system described above. After the carriage 22 has descended a short distance sufficient to separate the drum and brake shoe, the switch to the motor 29 will be turned on and cause the spindle 33 to rotate and carry with it the hot work piece. The carriage is then moved to its lowermost position where the work piece is completely immersed in the bath and is then properly quenched in such a way as to minimize any warpage or distortion of the work piece. After a predetermined time period the fluid system will elevate the piston in the cylinder 4B to raise the carriage 22 upwardly which then withdraws the quenched work piece from the bath. The spindle and work piece will be continually rotating during descent, quenching, and elevation. Before the carriage 22 reaches its uppermost position the motor will be turned off and the drum 49 on the motor shaft 30 will come against the brake shoe 48 immediately thereafter to stop rotation of the spindle 3B. The fluid system then acts upon the piston within the cylinder 59 to actuate the ejector arms 52 and eject the quenched work piece onto the conveyor 62.

When a plurality of these carriages 22 are provided, the fluid system which actuates and controls the movement of the carriages may be so designed as to actuate the carriages either successively or in pairs or in any other way which may seem desirable. The greater number of carriages provided, the greater will be the output of the quenched work pieces.

It will be quite evident from the foregoing description that this multiple type quenching machine is devoid of all tooling or dies usually necessary in this type of machine. It requires only a small and simple spindle to adapt the shape of work or type of gear being quenched. Martempering will minimize the warpage and distortion only if the bath is held at a uniform temperature and if the work is properly immersed, and this machine is so designed as to satisfy these requirements. The gear teeth in the automotive ring gear shown lends itself to additional selfagitation when immersed in the media. This type of machine has many other advantages relative to high productivity, compactness and lower cost with complete absence of expensive dies.

Changes may be made in the form of construction and arrangement of the parts from that disclosed herein without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the attendant advantages thereof, provided, however, that such changes fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A quenching machine of the class described, comprising a tank adapted to have a quenching bath therein, a rotatably mounted support for Pil supporting an article to be quenched, means rigidly associated with said support for moving said support into and out of said bath, means for rotating said support about its horizontal axis while in the bath, and means for controlling the temperature of said bath including conduits in said tank, heating means associated with said conduits, means for drawing the hot combustion gases through said conduits for elevating the temperature of the bath, and means for cooling said bath when it reaches a predetermined high temperature.

2. A quenching machine of the class described. comprising a tank adapted to have a quenching bath therein, a carriage mounted for vertical reciprocation into and out of the bath in said tank, means on said carriage and movable therewith for supporting an article to be quenched, means for rotating said article about its horizontal axis while it is in the bath and for a predetermined time after it leaves the bath, and a hood disposed about said article in a position to drain intercepted liquid back into the bath whereby the excess of the quenching bath on the article will be removed therefrom by centrifugal force and will be caught by said hood and thereafter be returned to the bath.

3. A quenching machine of the class described, comprising a tank adapted to have a quenching bath therein, a carriage movably mounted adjacent said tank an article support rotatably mounted on said carriage and movable therewith for supporting an article to be quenched and immersing the article in said bath, i Leans mounted on said carriage for rotating said support about its horizontal axis, means for moving said carriage to upper and lower positions, and brake means for stopping rotation of said article support when said carriage is in its upper position.

4. A quenching machine or" the class described, comprising a tank adapted to have a quenching bath therein, a rotatably mounted article support adjacent said tank adapted to have an article to be quenched charged thereon, means for moving said article support from charging position to immersing position within said bath, means for rotating said support about its horizontal axis when in immersing position, and brake means for stopping rotation of said support when in charging position, said brake means comprising a brake member disposed at the upper extremity of the path of an element driven by the article support rotating means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,123,722 Renisch Feb. 16, 1915 1,335,912 Olson Apr. 6, 1920 1,520,676 Koppin Dec. 23, 1924 2,146,516 Stephenson Feb. 7, 1939 2,158,687 Biggert et al May 16, 1939 2,178,281 Judge Oct. 31, 1939 2,188,257 Urschel Jan. 23, 1940 2,259,278 Theiss Oct. 14, 1941 2,280,470 Bridges Apr. 21, 1942 2,348,232 Trautman et al May 9, 1944 2,374,535 Gibson Apr. 24, 1945 2,411,174 Swenson et al Nov. 19, 1946 2,414,971 Moser Jan, 28, 1947 2,493,291 Hirsch Jan. 3, 1950 

